Mayor's body arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]The aircraft carrying the body of the assassinated Mayor of Jaffna, Sarojini Yogeswaran touched down at Ratmalana air- base, in the suburbs of Colombo around 1:30 p.m., said sources.

From there, Ms. Yogeswaran's body was brought to the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) office.

There, R. Sambandan, MP (Trincomalee District) and General Secretary, Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) and TULF members of Parliament Joseph Pararajasingham and Neelan Tiruchelvam received the body, which was draped with the TULF flag.

Among those who paid their last respects at the TULF office were A. T. Ariyaratne, a member of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka and leader of the NGO, Sarvodaya.

The body was handed over to relatives around 4:30 p.m., and is now lying at Raymonds funeral parlour in Colombo. The funeral will take place tomorrow at Kanatte general cemetery tomorrow, said sources.

Mr. Anandasangary said in his tribute to Ms. Yogeswaran, that she had taken to politics not with self-interest or desire to attain high public office, but to serve the people.

Commenting on the Sangiliyan Force which had claimed responsibility for the killing, Mr. Anandasangary said that Sangiliyan was a brave king who had ruled Jaffna and murder done in his name only desecrated his memory. But the Tamil people would not be deceived, he said.

Mr. Amirthalingam (former leader of the TULF) once said that the fruit of their labours would be death, but despite this premonition he continued to work, said Mr. Anandasangary.

Meanwhile, Sangiliyan Force has warned lawyers who humiliate Tamil women in open court by asking them to describe how they molested or raped in lurid detail, to keep away from court in future, said sources in Jaffna.

In a notice distributed in Jaffna, 'Sangiliyan Force' said that these lawyers were paid by the Sri Lanka Army and police to humiliate Tamil women.

Due to Tamil and Sinhala cultural values, women and girls who are raped or molested are often made outcasts in society. The public humiliation endured by victims during trials often dissuades others from reporting sexual crimes.